DIY Oats and Almonds Cleanser for Sensitive and Dry Skin

My skin was totally acting up a couple of months back. I don’t really suffer from acne though I do have combination skin. I was getting dry red patches, itchiness and irritation especially around my mouth. All the usual face washes and cleansers were only aggravating the problem and no amount of moisturizers or facial oils were helping.

I figured the problem was sulphates which I’ve eliminated from my shampoos but it’s real hard to find face washes without them. Usually the Aroma Magic ones work well for me as they are sulphate-free and mild but I needed more this time. I know that oats are the bomb for sensitive skin and redness so I pottered around to find a good concoction of stuff that would work for me.

Oats are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, thiamine and iron. They are known to have anti-inflammatory properties and suit all skin-types, even the most sensitive. These properties make it great for treating acne and redness, sunburn & itchy skin. They also contain natural mild cleansing agents and gently moisturise and exfoliate skin.

Next up is green tea, a favourite of mine for all things skin & hair, loaded with anti-oxidants, helps in skin-renewal and hence anti-aging. Another benefit here is its anti-inflammatory properties, again great to treat redness, rosacea and acne as well.

Almonds are known the world over to be great for skin. They also contain anti-oxidants which help to protect skin, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E which is an additional anti-oxidant, magnesium and calcium which counter the effects of stress hormones and help cells absorb nutrients. They are great for glowing skin and to combat dryness. When ground to powder they also, like oats, make a very mild exfoliant.

So I thought of using these awesome ingredients to concoct a face cleanser-mask for myself judging by the way cleansing grains have become so popular over the conventional face washes. But I wanted to make it a bit more special, so read on to see what else I added to it.

DIY Oats and Almonds Cleanser for Sensitive and Dry Skin

INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbsp oats

1 tsp green tea leaves

4 almonds

1-2 tsp fuller’s earth (multani mitti)

1 tsp almond oil

2 tsp rose water

1 tsp glycerin

5-7 drops Essential oils of your choice (I used the Aroma magic blend for dry skin which includes geranium and smells divine- what can I say- I’m a fan of their products!)

METHOD

Grind the oats, green tea and almonds as fine as possible. To this powder, add all the other ingredients and mix well. It’ll form a very thick dough-like consistency. You can put it into a clean plastic bag and knead it like dough so your hands don’t contaminate the mix.

And that’s it. Store in a water-tight container and use a spoon to take out a small portion every time you need to. Just mix that in your palm with a tiny bit of water and gently rub into your face with circular motions. Since there’s little to no water content, it can be stored for up to a month in our climate without refrigeration. It’s mild enough to be used everyday in the shower as a cleanser or you can use it as a face mask. Just mix with sufficient water to make a paste, spread onto your face and leave on for 20 minutes and then rinse off.

RESULTS

Within a few days of using this, my skin became much better and the dry red patches were gone. My face felt much softer and really supple and even my pores appeared reduced in size, though that was a surprise result. I may be the only person who secretly pinches their own cheeks and I was doing a lot of that. Sssssshhhh 🙂

What do you think of this DIY?

Editor’s Note: I can safely say that I too love Nayantara’s posts more than mine 😀 This is definitely on my TO-DO list now and I am gonna do it right away and share my update as well. And, I would sincerely recommend you to try it as well and share your thoughts on it. Btw, this reminds me of the Almond face cleanser from Lush!!

About Nayantara Karnik

An architect by profession, amateur artist and cartoonist on the side, with a bit of furniture design thrown in. Besides being something of a fitness and health freak, I love all things DIY, from hair and skin care to crafts, crochet & jewellery.

AAAwwwww, thanks “editor”! I guess this is vaguely inspired by the Lush cleanser, but with different base ingredients. Just wanted to add that this cleanser is mild enough for use on acne-prone skin as well, in which case tea tree essential oil can be used instead of the one above.

Okkie now this is something which I can really try this season. I do have a combination skin but in winter it gets dry:( and I have all the ingredients at my home now, so can make it easily.Such a helpful post and an easy DIY 🙂